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Lions hire Jim Caldwell; Jim Tressel to follow?

The Detroit Lions are set to hire Jim Caldwell as their new head coach and Jim Tressel could be on his way to Michigan as well.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news about Caldwell shortly after noon on Tuesday. Other confirmations continue to flow in.

On Monday night, Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan shared that if Caldwell were to land in Detroit, that we should watch out for Tressel to be named as his offensive coordinator. The two worked together when Tressel served as an Indianapolis Colts consultant in 2011.

Caldwell, 58, is most well known for his role as QB coach and offensive coordinator in Indianapolis from 2002-2008. After Tony Dungy retired, he was the head coach from 2009-2011. His final season was the team’s 2-14 season in between Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.

The coach landed back on his feet in Baltimore, where he again served as QB coach and offensive coordinator for the last two years. He earned his second Super Bowl ring last season with Joe Flacco and company.

The Lions appeared to be an enviable opening in the NFL landscape because of the presence of quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. They appeared to be the favorite to land Ken Whisenhunt, but the former Chargers coordinator decided to become the head coach in Tennessee.

Tressel was once a rumored candidate in Cleveland, but that never materialized. As of last reports, he had been interested in NFL jobs, but has not been contacted yet. The Caldwell-Tressel connection seems obvious—it’s just a matter of whether the 61-year-old Ohio State legend will make the job from University of Akron administrator to NFL assistant.

The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings positions remain as the only two head coaching vacancies in the NFL. The Browns appear willing to wait until the Denver Broncos season is finalized so they can interview Adam Gase.

Jacob Rosen is a long-time contributor to WaitingForNextYear. He's also a writer online at SportsAnalyticsBlog and Nylon Calculus . An Akron native, Jacob is a current MBA student at the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. You can follow him on Twitter @WFNYJacob or e-mail him at udjrosen(at)gmail(dot)com.

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I love Tress, but him going to the NFL as an offensive coordinator? Can’t help but think that’s a losing proposition (unless you’re Sam Martin).

mgbode

yeah, he’s pretty cozy in the world of academia now. I don’t see why he would bother leave it.

Garry_Owen

Yep. Which is exactly why I shudder whenever anyone suggests that the Browns go after him, or Jon Gruden, or Bill Cowher. All cozy guys living a cozy life far away from the seriously un-cozy NFL head coaching biz.

The_Real_Shamrock

According to multiple sources Tressel really wanted an interview with the Cleveland Browns. Because of this I believe he’s not cozy at all.

Garry_Owen

Well, thinking you’re cozy, subjectively, and actually being objectively cozy are two different things.

The_Real_Shamrock

Your Jedi mind tricks have no effect on me!

Garry_Owen

Or do they?

The_Real_Shamrock

Dammit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nj0

Why didn’t we interview Tressel? I’m not an OSU homer (opposite, actually), but he seems as legit a candidate as any of the guys we’ve brought in thus far. Not to be overly negative, but not interviewing him (or any serious, established vet coach) makes me think the front office does not want an opinionated coach to question their decisions.

Toddyus

I’m not 61 or cozy, but a guy like Tressel doesn’t want to go out with a bad rep. Outside of Ohio, that’s what he has. Only reason I could think he’d want to work his way back up.

CLE23

tressel would have been worth the risk about 10 years ago but he is too accomplished and has nothing to prove so he wouldn’t make it anymore. being a head coach in the nfl is tough. you work about 100 hours a week and there is still work to do after that. that’s why guys like gruden and cowher will never come back. they aren’t young and dumb anymore.